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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23551513">Caught In The Tides</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SykoShadowRose/pseuds/SykoShadowRose'>SykoShadowRose</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wild Things [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>RWBY</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alpha clover, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom Qrow Branwen, Crow!Qrow, Dragon!Taiyang, F/M, Hand Job, Interspecies Relationship, Interspecies Sex, Knotting, M/M, Mating, Mating Bites, Mating Bonds, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Merman!Qrow, Non-Human Genitalia, Omega Qrow, Rimming, Shapeshifting, Size Difference, Tail Kink, Top Clover Ebi, alpha/beta/omega, mythical creatures, naga!Clover, non-human anatomy, siren!Qrow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:21:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,017</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23551513</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SykoShadowRose/pseuds/SykoShadowRose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Qrow decides to take a short break from missions on a beautiful island. Too bad (or not) that he was unaware of the naga who called it home. The two become friends and eventually much, much more.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Past Taiyang Xiao Long/Raven Branwen/Summer Rose, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wild Things [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1708024</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>148</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Merfolk Underwater and Above</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Caught In The Tides</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, I wanted to write a Merman!Qrow story for a while (and then FairGame week happened and several of them showed up much to my joy) but I didn't want to do a Human!Clover. Then I read a story called Trust In Me by Roosterteethlover (which they based off of artwork by mr-blind on tumblr) with Naga!Clover and my muse went... That would be cool. So here is this (much longer and more graphic than anticipated) story about a naga and a merman becoming a couple.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The black bird settled down onto the rocks of the cove, twisting it’s head about to ensure no one was there to witness as it shifted forms. There were nothing but plants and trees and rocks and water as far as he could see. He’d caught sight of this place a month ago and had made plans to return to the beautiful, isolated cove to rest at some point. Such places of untouched natural beauty were rare with how humans traveled everywhere (though their settlements were not quite as prolific as they could be). What made it perfect for him to relax in was the lack of Grimm in the area, meaning he wouldn’t have to be constantly on guard.</p><p>Qrow breathed a sigh as he sank into the water, his fin drifting behind him. It had been too long since he’d last been free to swim, too busy using his avian form to gather information for the wizard Ozpin in his war against the infernal witch-queen Salem and her demonic Grimm pawns. But he’d miraculously managed to finish his last mission faster than ever so he had a little time off now. (Scroll reception had been surprisingly strong in the area so he’d been able to report sooner than he’d thought he could.) His family wasn’t expecting him to visit for another week so he could teach Yang how to shift (if she was able) and Ruby how to swim. He was looking forward to the bonding time but he fully expected keeping up with two young girls to be stressful and exhausting. Qrow intended to use most of the time before that to relax. He’d likely be sent out on another mission and wouldn’t get the chance to afterwards.</p><p>Resting in the sand below the gentle waves of the cove, the merman didn’t see the shifting of green scales that were blending into the treetops or the slitted teal eyes that tracked his movements. He never knew the way a forked tongue flicked out to catch traces of his scent or that the much larger being was entranced by his red and black tail. That he was mesmerized by the way his fins drifted freely around him. Had he known about his watcher, Qrow would have swam away as fast as his tail could propel him. While he knew better than to believe everything his underwater tribe had told him, the warning to stay clear of any naga’s territory was something he’d never been willing to test. There were too many stories of the nagas attacking and killing merfolk who wandered too close to their underwater lairs. He couldn’t afford the risk to his family if they really were as dangerous as he’d been told.</p><p>Unaware of the lurking naga, Qrow squirmed a little deeper into the sand with the sea weed, creating a shallow dip in the bed for him to lie in and tucked his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and breathed deep, settling in for a nap. He’d been flying non-stop for three days, it was time to catch up on missed sleep. He’d find something to eat when he woke.</p><p>~</p><p>Clover slid a little further out onto the branches of the tree he was hiding in. The merman seemed content to simply lie in the sand as the hours passed and let the sun filter down over him. It was a beautiful sight. He’d heard stories of merfolk, had been told that they were exquisite things meant to entice sailors to their deaths. That they raided shipwrecks and hoards for treasures. This one didn’t seem like that though, as he hadn’t looked around except to see that he was alone. And he’d been a <i>bird</i>! No stories Clover recalled from his childhood ever said anything about them becoming birds. Humans, yes. But so could nagas. Many magical creatures could assume human shape, though they often retained some of their true form. </p><p>Wanting a closer look, Clover carefully lowered himself to the ground, using the tree trunks to hide his movements and slithered closer with the bushes acting as cover. He managed to make his way to a cluster of bushes that were right over the edge of the cove, allowing a much better view. The merman’s ears were swept up and had multiple points along the curve of it unlike how Clover’s came to a single point at the tip. The tips were colored the same red and black as the rest of him (Clover’s were tinged green). There was a single set of gills on his neck and three on his ribs, all of them colored slightly red darkening to black. The naga could see webbing between his fingers of the same shading where one of his hands had drifted above his head and uncurled. The nails were long and sharp, tipped black but still mostly human looking. Completely different from the way Clover’s arms shifted from humanesque shoulders and biceps to green scaled talons just before his elbows. </p><p>There was a scattering of mostly red and silver with a few black gem-like scales along his temples and curling under his eyes. (Clover had some scales around his neck and shoulders, so this wasn’t too different but he still liked the aesthetics of the other’s scales more than his own.) He could see small soft looking fins on the mer’s forearms and knew from when he’d seen the other dive that there was a similar fin along his spine. But it was his tail that held most of Clover’s interest (besides his face, of course, with his angular jaw and silver and ebony hair).</p><p>While the general shape of it wasn’t that different from his own, Clover felt his tail was far more beautiful with long veil-like fins along his hips, smaller ones on two different points down the length of it (one just above the halfway point and the other halfway between it and the bottom) and then just above the end fin nearly merging with it. The bottom fin itself was long and wide, delicate looking with the way he could see through it (and the others) but obviously strong to be able to propel the other through the water. The fins were more red than black, in contrast to the coloring of his tail which was the reverse. Mostly black with some red and silver not-quite stripes on the sides. The transparent fins had small specks of solid silver on them, flashing in the sunlight and catching the naga’s eyes. </p><p>The shape of the scales drew Clover a bit closer to the water, they were so vastly different than his own. Like snakes, naga’s had larger eglonated scales that covered their ventral and smaller often diamond or oval shaped scales that covered the rest of their tails, some with integument between the lines of overlapping scales and others (like Clover) who were completely covered. His scales were soft to compensate for the way he moved but the consistent cycloid scales covering the merman seemed stronger. Possibly sharp enough to cut the soft skin of a human at the wrong angle. Clover jerked back when the slender form under the water stretched, barely getting himself back into cover before those scarlett eyes opened.</p><p>He hunkered down under the leaves as those sharp eyes darted around where he’d been. Obviously the other had seen some kind of movement but wasn’t sure what. Clover wanted to keep it that way for the moment. (He hadn’t realized just how far out over the water he’d been hovering to get a better look at the merman.) He meant no harm to the lovely creature but he didn’t know if the reverse was true. And while he could hold his own in a fight, he’d rather not if he didn’t have to since he didn’t know what all the other was capable of in a fight. Especially if the other drew him into an underwater battle. (Nagas were strong in the water but merfolk were <i>fast</i>.) </p><p>The water rippled as the mer’s head broke the surface, those garnet eyes scanning the area suspiciously. Clover held his breath, not wanting to draw the other creature’s attention to him just yet. The dark haired male swam closer to the shore, still searching for any sign of movement. The fins on his tail flared and his torso lifted up out of the water in a show of strength Clover hadn’t known was possible, drawing a gasp of awe from the naga. Immediately the dark head whipped in his direction and Clover moved to capture him before he did anything hostile. His long tail shot out and coiled around the smaller creature’s tapered waist (startling a shout out of him) lifting him up and pulling him towards the naga as he rose up out of the bushes. He gently set the small male on his coils, using one taloned hand to hold a webbed one so he didn’t fall back into the empty hole of the rings. </p><p>Wide wine colored eyes flicked between his face and where their hands were joined, assessing the situation with a look of shock. He gave a small smile, making sure to keep his fangs from showing more than he had too. </p><p>“Hello. My name is Clover. Who are you?” This close to the alluring marine creature, Clover couldn’t stop his forked tongue from flicking out to taste the other’s natural scent properly. It was sweeter than he’d thought it would be beneath the sea water, in a way he’d very rarely encountered among the mythic creatures. Ah, this elegant little merman was an omega and likely to be skittish around other mythics because of it. Clover would have to be gentle with him so as not to scare him off if he wanted to learn anything about merfolk that he hadn’t read about or been told in stories.</p><p>“Ummm… Qrow.” The merman, Qrow shifted his weight so he was no longer in danger of falling back into the coils. He’d known, academically, that nagas were large creatures, but to be faced with the reality of it was… overwhelming. He wondered if the other’s size was natural for any naga or if it was because (judging by the slight scent of spice) the other was an alpha. He wasn’t fully twice Qrow size (not counting the sheer length of his tail) but he was close enough for the merman to be nervous. “Am I… intruding on your territory?” He asked nervously. The naga still hadn’t released his hand, though the grip was weak enough that he could pull away if he chose to. </p><p>“Mmm. Technically, yes but I wasn’t worried about it.” Clover separated their hands and lowered his torso so that he wasn’t looming over the smaller male, putting them at roughly eye level with each other. “I was curious about you. I’ve heard of merfolk but never met one.”</p><p>“Ah. I, uh, I’ve heard things about nagas too.” His tail flicked, water splashing off the bottom fin as he scanned the other creature for signs of hostility. The naga was stunning to look at and obviously trying to appear non-threatening. Tanned skin and sculpted muscles and a long tail that he couldn’t even see all of. The majority of the tail was a soft, bright green like a newly unfurled leaf with dark green diamonds lined with black going all along it’s length and each diamond had a black and pale green spot inside of it. Unlike his own tail, where the transition from skin to scales began along his sides and dipped lower in the front and back, the naga’s transition started up his back and swooped down lower in front. Qrow wondered just how far up his back the scales trailed (his own started under his gills below his ribs). The scales beneath him were soft and smooth and strangely heated. He couldn’t remember if nagas were cold-blooded like snakes or warm-blooded like humans. Going by the feel of the male it was warm-blooded. Merfolk were like that too. It made ineter-breeding with humans possible. He turned his attention away from how gorgeous the other looked. Took a breath to try to gather his thoughts. He needed to focus better. The large alpha hadn’t made any threatening moves (he was definitely trying to look peaceful) but he needed to be cautious. “Not… good things… Not when it comes to my kind anyways.”</p><p>Clover tipped his head as he considered that information. He tasted the omega’s scent again, enjoying the sweetness but picking up something underneath that he could quite place. “I can understand that. I’ve heard that merfolk like to steal our treasures so naturally we would defend them. I’m guessing that your kind accuse us of attacking unprovoked.”</p><p>“Pretty much, yea. And some of us do steal so… Can’t blame your kind for getting defensive around us…” Qrow averted his eyes with a slight blush. Between his acquisitive mer nature and his crow’s penchant for shiny things, he’d swiped more than a few things in his lifetime. He’d never be so stupid as to try to steal from a mythic though. Far too dangerous. What were those mers thinking trying to take a naga’s treasure?</p><p>“I suppose. But I was more curious about the bird thing. If you don’t mind me asking about it.” The tip of Clover’s tail twitched as he tried to contain his interest. </p><p>“Oh. That. Well, my father was a merman and my mother was a siren with shapeshifting abilities. She was a jackdaw when she took bird form. My twin can take the form of a raven and I’m a crow.” The muscles under him rippled, making Qrow slightly nervous until he noticed that the other was trying to keep himself from scooting forward. He appreciated that the naga was trying not to intimidate him but was tempted to tell him it was a lost cause given the alpha’s sheer size.</p><p>“Siren? Twin?” Clover crossed his arms on his coils and rested his chin on them, looking up at Qrow from what he hoped was a comfortable distance away.</p><p>Qrow scratched the back of his neck nervously, his fins flaring out briefly at the sudden shift closer. At least he was looking down at the brunette which was often a sign of surrender. Despite his higher reasoning brain, the submissive action put his hindbrain at ease. “Yea. I don’t have as many siren traits as she does, maybe because she’s an actual female. The most I can do is sing someone into a trance since I favored my merfolk blood. I have a mer form, my crow, and a human body.  Raven can shift between a raven, a siren and a human form. We, uh, we don’t talk much anymore.” His shoulders dropped, trying to recall when the last time they’d seen each other was. It was shortly after Yang’s brith, he thought. Then she’d left them all behind, claiming cryptic things he still didn’t understand. He was trying to figure it out though. Maybe if he could eliminate whatever she was running from she’d come back. He could use her help with… </p><p>Clover could tell that he’d found a sensitive topic and dropped it to ask another question. “What’s your human form like?”</p><p>“Not that different from this one, honestly. If… if you don’t mind me hanging around I could show you later. I had planned on sticking around for a few days before going to visit my family.” Qrow’s tail tensed and curled behind him, unsure if he would be allowed to stay in the other mythic’s domain. He hadn’t intruded on purpose and the naga seemed okay with his presence but that didn’t mean he was welcome to stay. </p><p>“I would love to have some company.” Clover grinned widely, forgetting momentarily about his fangs. Thankfully besides a startled blink Qrow had no reaction to the deadly appendages, too relieved that he wasn’t going to be chased off.</p><p>“Are you going to show me your human form?” Qrow tipped his head curiously at the (surprisingly cute) naga. (Things nearly twice his size should not be cute. He was sure there was a law about that somewhere.) </p><p>“If you want to see it, it’s only fair.” Clover lifted himself back up, noticing that the sun was beginning to sink in the horizon. He wanted to stay with the merman but given the other’s status as an omega he probably wouldn’t welcome a strange alpha around while he slept. Just the same… “Would you like to stay in the cove? I have a cave deeper on the island that has water if you’d like to see it or stay there instead.” He was fairly sure the omega would choose the cove but he still wanted to offer.</p><p>Qrow bit his lip nervously and looked around. He had never slept in the presence of an alpha except Taiyang and even that had taken years for him to be comfortable enough for it. The idea of being vulnerable with this alpha made him anxious (but not afraid, strangely). “I, uh, I’ll stay here for tonight. If you don’t mind.” </p><p>“It’s no problem at all. I’ll be back tomorrow morning so we can talk more. Okay?” The alpha smiled, showing that he took no offense and putting the omega’s worries to rest. It would take at least a few days for Qrow to become comfortable around him, he was certain, and even then that didn’t mean he would be able to sleep near him.</p><p>“Yea, see you in the morning.” Qrow held on as Clover’s tail gently lowered him back into the water. Watching the large form slither away the merman ducked under the waves, swimming back to the spot he’d made earlier to sleep in. As he curled up for his slumber he felt his face heating in a fierce blush. How could he have let the alpha manhandle him like that without complaint? He’d nearly bit (ineffectually but it was the action that counted) Tai the first time the dragon had used his tail to lift him like that. What made the naga special? With no answer in sight, the crow sighed and cleared his mind to rest. It would do him no good to run his mind in circles.</p><p>~</p><p>Clover rushed through the tree branches back to the cove, eager to see the merman. He’d had a restless night, too excited about his guest to settle down for sleep. Getting closer he spotted a slender form pacing the shore and slowed down. Realizing that Qrow had taken human form, he dropped to the ground and shifted as well. It was a tad disorienting since he didn’t use his human form often (it was smaller than he was used to being) but he would readjust quickly. Stepping out into a clearing he slowed to examine the svelte body. Excluding the clothes, Qrow’s body was much the same from the waist up as he’d claimed, though he had human hands and ears and his gills were missing (there were signs of where the gills would be if one looked close enough). But his hips led to amazing, long legs that Clover wanted to one day get a better look at. </p><p>Qrow’s pacing came to a stop when he noticed the naga’s return. The alpha had shifted to human form as well, keeping his promise of a fair sharing much to his pleasure. While he wasn’t nearly as overwhelmingly large in human form, he was still taller and broader than Qrow was. His eyes were no longer slitted (though the pupils were more oval than round) and his hands and ears were normal like his own now were. And he was holding a basket. Qrow stepped closer, curiosity pulling him to see what was brought to his borrowed cove. “I brought some fruit. I don’t know what you eat so…”</p><p>“I eat several things but I do like fruit. Thank you.” Qrow took a seat when Clover motioned to a few semi-flat rocks. Clover set the basket down and sat down as well pulling out the fruit for his guest to look through.</p><p>“So what made you stop here to rest?” Clover leaned forward, picking a couple things only after the omega had chosen what he wanted.</p><p>“Just, the beauty of it. It’s breathtaking. I saw it when I was flying a while back and wanted to come and see it better.” Qrow blushed slightly, not completely oblivious to what the alpha was doing but not about to call him out on it either. He was going to look at it as a host treating his guest over an alpha treating an omega until the other gave him a solid reason to think otherwise.</p><p>“Well, I’m glad you decided to return.” Clover took in the faint pink with a sense of pleasure, wishing he still had his tongue so he could taste the other’s scent when he blushed. His nose still worked fine thought, so he could still pick up the surge of sweetness. It just wasn’t the same as being able to <i>taste</i> it in the air. He should have kept that trait when he’d shifted...</p><p>“So, what made you decide to make this your home? Same reason?” Qrow tried a pink fruit with little leaf bits on it and a white inside with black seeds. It wasn’t bad, lightly sweet but not nearly enough for his tastes. He set the rest of it aside and reached for a yellow one that was, he noticed after looking more closely at it, in the shape of a star.</p><p>“That was the deciding factor, yes. Mostly I wanted my own space away from my family but close enough that visiting would be easy. Do you have a family besides your twin? You mentioned a family yesterday.” Clover kept the conversation going while keeping track of which fruits the mer seemed to like and which ones were rejected. </p><p>“A brother-in-law and two beautiful nieces. I’m going to be visiting with them for a bit to teach my elder niece to shift into a mer or siren if she can. I was going to teach my younger niece to swim as well while I’m there.” So the star was good. Qrow decided to have something he was familiar with and picked up a piece of cantaloupe.</p><p>“She can’t shift?” Clover was curious about that. Unless she was human or one of the few mythic species that were unable to take human form, but then she wouldn’t be related to the man in front of him, not by blood anyways. And he knew from his own siblings adopting that family was more than blood.</p><p>“Probably but I don’t think it’s something I can teach her. She’s not my niece by blood.” Clover felt a surge of pride at having figured it out before he was told. “My brother is a dragon but her mother, his second mate, was a celestial of some kind. We didn’t think she was a fullblood, not from what we could tell anyways. None of us were ever quite sure what kind, though we all figured angel was the most likely. His second mate, my sister-in-law went missing years ago. I’ve been searching for her while Tai takes care of his daughters”</p><p>“Celestials are rare, they tend to stay in their own dimension. Maybe she went there?” His mother had known a celestial in her youth. Maybe he could ask her opinion (or help) if Qrow and his brother were okay with it. He’d offer before the other left to see his family.</p><p>“Yea, that’s what made figuring out what Summer was such a problem. Ruby looks almost identical to her so we’re pretty sure she favors her blood. Yang looks like my twin but she’s got her dad’s coloring for the most part which is why we aren’t sure which way she’ll shift. She might have multiple forms like me and her mom, but with a smaller dragon form instead of a bird. At least that’s my theory. Tai hasn’t disagreed. I… hadn’t actually considered that option. She never would have left them by choice.” Qrow frowned, worried about the possibility that Summer might be in a different dimension where he couldn’t reach her to help. “What about you?” Finally full, the crow leaned back on his palms, turning his full attention to his companion. He’d worry about Summer later.</p><p>“I have my parents and my five siblings with several nieces and nephews, cousins and uncles and aunts. I love them all but it was getting uncomfortably crowded in our tunnels. They live on a larger island a bit more to the north.” He wondered if it would be too much to get his scroll (that he and the rest of his family only had because his youngest sibling frequented the human world and insisted they have them) out to share pictures. </p><p>“I can imagine. I grew up in a tribe of merfolk and there was rarely enough room for everyone to have their own space.” Qrow’s brow furrowed as he recalled his (unpleasant) childhood. </p><p>“You aren’t close to your tribe?” The idea was rather forgien to Clover. He and his family were so close, he couldn’t imagine never hearing from them again.</p><p>The merman tensed, looking away. He shouldn’t have brought it up. The memories were painful enough when he wasn’t purposely dragging them up. “No.”</p><p>Clover noticed the change and could smell a hint of distress in the omega’s scent. He fought down his natural urge to reach out to the other (they didn’t know each other well and it may not be welcomed) and changed the subject. “You said you were going to stick around for a few days. Any idea how long or what you plan to do while you’re here?”</p><p>Qrow jerked his head back to his host, not sure what to make of the sudden shift in topics. “Um, I was going to stay for about four days and then go to surprise them a bit early with my visit. I didn’t have any plans beyond relaxing. Mostly in my mer form. I, uh, I don’t get to spend much time in it and it’s the one I’m actually most comfortable as.” </p><p>“Oh! You can shift back if you’d like then. I’m not all that great with my human form either. I just don’t have much use for it out here and it’s so small, you know?”</p><p>Giving an amused snort, Qrow shot Clover an appraising look. “Small he says.” The merman still gave a grateful smile as he slid off of the rock and made his way to the ledge of the cove instead of the sandy shore. As Clover watched, he sat down and his clothes faded away, ghosting into a band around his wrist, scales pushing up through his skin and taking over what Clover could see of his legs. Qrow looked back over his shoulder, tipping his head as garnet eyes regarded the naga. “You can shift too. Fair’s fair, after all.”</p><p>Clover laughed. “True enough.” His own process wasn’t that different from Qrow’s, though he grew larger as the changes took place and his clothes became a band around his arm. He breathed a sigh of relief as he took his natural form again. Being human always felt wrong to him, like he was trying to squeeze into a space far too small for his body. He wondered how it felt to Qrow. The other had said he felt most comfortable in mer form even if it was (sadly) the body he spent the least amount of time in. “Hey, since you’re going to be here for a few days, why don’t I show you around?”</p><p>“Sounds like fun.” </p><p>Clover grinned, slithering over and dropping into the water. While he didn’t usually spend much time in the water, he could live there like any naga and he, of course, had thoroughly explored every crevice of his home when he’d decided to live on the tiny island. Now he was looking forward to sharing all those secret little places he found (ignoring the voice inside him that said he was showing off his territory to a potential mate) with the merman. </p><p>~</p><p>“You’re welcome back anytime. I have really enjoyed having someone to talk to the last few days.”</p><p>Qrow ducked his head shyly. “I’ll take you up on that offer in the future. Your home is beautiful. The company isn’t bad either.” He gave a teasing grin at the mock offended gasp the naga gave. </p><p>Clover’s face softened when Qrow gave a quiet laugh. “I mean it though. Come here whenever you need, the cove is your’s. And if you decide you want to ask my mom about celestials just let me know and I’ll send her a message.”</p><p>“Th… Thank you. And, uh, I’ll talk to Tai about it. She’s his daughter and Summer is his mate so final say is his. I’ll, um, I’ll see you later.” Qrow shifted into his bird form and flew away before he could embarrass himself further. He had hoped, of course, that he would be allowed back to Clover’s home. He had not expected the alpha to give him the cove he’d been living in for the last few days. He’d told himself during their second meeting that he’d view all their interactions as a host and a guest, not an alpha and an omega but giving him the cove was a bit much. Unless the naga was exceptionally friendly (or lonely) and didn’t mind sharing space he wasn’t using. Either way he’d worry about it later. For the next few hours he needed to think about what he was going to tell his brother. And how he was going to propose Clover’s offer of help.</p><p>~</p><p>Qrow braced himself as he landed, shifting as he dropped so that his boots hit the ground in front of the cottage his family called home. Tai looked up from where he’d been working in the yard and smiled. Qrow stepped into the hug the dragon pulled him into as he stood up, simply allowing himself to settle into the feeling of being home again. “Hey. You’re early.”</p><p>“Yea, got done with the mission faster than I thought I would.” Qrow took a step back when he was released, following the blond into the house. </p><p>“The girls are over at a friend’s house right now. They’ll be back in a few hours though. How did your mission go?” Tai took them to the kitchen and made drinks for them both before they settled in at the table.</p><p>“It went surprisingly well. I actually finished days ago and just took some time to relax before coming here to teach the girls.” Qrow fiddled with the cup he was given, memories of the beautiful little island rising to the surface of his thoughts. </p><p>“Smart move, they’re gonna wear you out enough as is, better to be fully rested when they do it.” Tai picked up his cup taking a long drink from it as he studied the dark haired male. He seemed healthy, if a bit preoccupied. </p><p>“Yea…” Qrow trailed off, thinking of Clover and everything they’d talked about. Should he ask Tai about it now or in a couple days?</p><p>“What happened?” Tai gave him a suspicious scrutiny, trying to see if Qrow was hiding an injury that wasn’t fully healed or something similar.</p><p>“Huh? Oh!” Qrow raised his hands, palms out. “No, nothing bad. I just… I met a naga.”</p><p>The dragon straightened in his seat, his protective instincts coming to the fore. “Are you alright? Did he hurt you? Threaten you? Do I need to eat him?”</p><p>“Yes. No. No. And <i>NO</i>! Easy Tai. He was really friendly and even gave me a cove for me to rest in whenever I’m in the area.” Qrow gave the other a wide-eyed look, knowing full well that Taiyang <i>would</i> eat Clover if the naga tried to harm him in any way. But he hadn’t done anything wrong and did not deserve to be a dragon snack so he had to keep the dragon grounded.</p><p>“You met him once and he wants you to move in with him!? Tell me this is another omega who wants like company around.” The air around Tai shimmer slightly, heat radiating from his glowing form. At least he hadn’t shifted yet. The house would never fit his full form and they didn’t need the hassle of repairs. </p><p>“Ummmm…” Well, when he put it that way, he supposed it didn’t sound the best… </p><p>“Qrow…” Ohhh… He recognized that threatening little growl. That was the ‘you better not have done something stupid’ tone.</p><p>Too bad for Tai, that tone never worked on a Branwen. “I’m an adult and I can make my own mistakes, thank you very much.” </p><p>“He’s a fucking alpha isn’t he?” Tai snapped his sharpened teeth at the smaller male, already knowing the answer from his behavior but wanting to hear it just the same.</p><p>“I can have alphas in my life besides you, you know.” Qrow crossed his arms and sulked down in his chair trying not to feel like a petulant child being scolded by their parent. “Besides, he offered to let me talk to his mom because she used to know a celestial and he thought she might be able to help with Summer and Ruby.”</p><p>“You <i>told him</i>? How much did you tell?” </p><p>“Probably more than was wise.” He admitted meekly, his shoulders hitched up and he blushed fiercely. Okay, that one probably wasn’t his best decision but he hadn’t really been thinking about it at the time. “There was just something about him…”</p><p>“Gods damn it Qrow.” Tai pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting off a headache already. This was a new record- usually it took Qrow at least half a day to get him this worked up, and that was when he was <i>trying</i>.</p><p>“Look, I’ll be careful around him but give him a chance. Please.” </p><p>“Fine. But I demand to meet him at some point <i>before</i> his family gets involved with ours. Got it?” He couldn’t <i>believe</i> he was going along with this but honestly he didn’t have a whole lot of options at the moment. Not when this naga had already been told about their family.</p><p>“That’s fair. Let me get to know him first, then I’ll see about setting up a meeting.” Qrow picked up his cup and downed the liquid in one go, considering the matter closed for now.</p><p>“Fine. Come on. Let’s get you settled in. Once the girls get home we won’t have the chance. Tomorrow you can take them to your lake like you promised.” Tai shook his head in exasperation and left the kitchen. Only his little brother could meet a naga, who was supposed to be one of his most dangerous enemies as a merman, and move in with the beast in the same damned day without getting hurt. </p><p>~</p><p>The sun was high in the sky when they took the two girls down to the lake for the lessons they were promised. Qrow showed Yang how he shifted and talked her through the process so that she could try to copy it. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Yang had favored the mer blood her mother carried over the siren blood, though her father’s dragon blood was certainly visible in her mer form, mostly in her tail. (He wondered if she favored it because she was trying to take a merform like his or if it was just her natural inclination.) The child’s scales were a bright metallic yellow-gold with shades of orange. The scales themselves looked more like the shield-shaped scales Tai had. The fin on her back trailed from her shoulder blades down to near the tip of her tail and had sharp (dangerous) spines. Her tailfin was narrower than his was and ruffled, mostly orange with yellow highlights. (The fins reminded him a little bit of a lionfish if the spines had the fin connecting them.) She still had the smaller set of fins on her hips and one even smaller set halfway down her tail. The only other difference her form had from his was her hands, which were more like webbed dragon claws. </p><p>Now that they had determined she could shift into a mermaid, it was his job to teach her how to use her body. Tai would teach her how to dragon later. (Qrow was still convinced she’d be able to take <i>some</i> kind of dragon form, even if it was different that her dad’s.) Once the girl got used to her new form, he’d be able to take some of his attention and split it to her sister so he could teach Ruby to swim like he promised he would. (Tai could have taught them the basics but he insisted that it would be better for him to do it, convinced the girls would take the merman’s instructions more seriously than a dragon’s when it came to the water. He was probably right.) For the moment though, Ruby was playing in the shallow water near the shore with her father.</p><p>~</p><p>“So you met a naga, made friends with him, moved in with him and he offered to talk to his mom to figure out what kind of celestial Ruby might be?” Taiyang had taken the night and day to sort through the information he’d gotten the previous afternoon once he’d calmed down. He still wasn’t comfortable with his brother basically living part-time with an alpha he didn’t know but Qrow was, as he’d pointed out, an adult and therefore was (theoretically) capable of making his own life decisions. </p><p>“In a nutshell. I didn’t exactly move in with him though…” Qrow grumbled. Just because he agreed to stay in the cove didn’t mean he was living there.</p><p>Tai arched a brow. “Do you plan on going back and using the cove?”</p><p>“Yes…” Qrow answered suspiciously. </p><p>Tai gave a decisive nod. “So you moved in with him. What was his name? Tell me what this naga you’re living with is like.”</p><p>Qrow gave an exaggerated eye roll but couldn’t help the little smile and ducked his head, not fast enough for Tai to miss it though. He could tell, even before the other started talking that there was definitely something there on Qrow’s side. He only hoped that the naga felt the same for his brother. </p><p>~</p><p>Qrow hadn’t realized it until he set the final touches to his bed, but he’d started to make a permanent home on Clover’s island. The little cove that had been given to him now held just as much appeal (and trinkets) as the lake just behind Taiyang’s cottage (near the dragon’s cave) where he had spent most of his time living when he wasn’t on missions. How had the cove become as much as a home to him in just five months? Tai and Summer had spent a year trying to convince him to make the lake his own. He’d even taken steps to enclose it into a proper home so he wouldn’t have to worry about intruders except, of course, the naga he was essentially living with. (As his asshole brother kept reminding him. As if he’d forget it.)</p><p>Once he was done making adjustments he was going to go find Clover. The oversized lizard he called a brother had finally made the demand to meet his alpha (Clover wasn’t his alpha but Tai wouldn’t listen when he told him that) and they needed to pick a meeting place. Neutral territory between their home that both could access easily and be comfortable. Qrow had a few spots in mind but he needed them to agree before he let them know when and where. Hopefully they would cooperate… </p><p>~</p><p>“Uncle Qrow~!” The tiny body flew at him almost faster than he could see, silver light flashing with her excitement as she dove off of Tai’s nose to reach him. He felt a surge of panic and he lunged to catch her. He appreciated the trust she had in him and her dad but he would have felt better if she didn’t pull moves like that. “Do we get to see him now?”</p><p>“Here, kiddo.” He caught the small body and turned her attention to the naga that was trying to appear smaller than he actually was without shifting to human form when he set her down. They had all agreed to let Tai and the girls see his natural form before he shifted down. A short distance away Yang was still climbing down her father’s back so he could shift back to human. </p><p>“Are you Clover? Uncle Qrow talks about you all the time!” Little Ruby squirmed out of her uncle’s hold and ran over to the serpent. Showing no hesitation at all the six year old reached out both hands and felt all over what she could reach of the green tail. “It doesn’t feel like Uncle Qrow’s or Dad’s…” </p><p>“Different scales pipsqueak.” Qrow gave Clover an apologetic look as Ruby proceeded to climb up on his coils and tried to balance on his tail while she walked along him. He got an amused look in return as Clover lifted the end of his tail and tapped her on top of the head with it. The girl looked up to see what it was, lost her balance, and was caught by another length of Clover’s tail to be dropped back into her uncle’s arms. There was a huff of hot air and they all looked over to see Tai’s head laying on the ground next to them, young Yang watching curiously.</p><p>Tai shifted back to human, golden scales shimmering as he shrunk. Yang wandered closer, reaching out with one hand to feel the difference her sister had mentioned. “Huh. It’s softer than ours. Not as warm as Dad though. The scales under are different like on Dad. Are you a kind of dragon?”</p><p>Clover laughed a little bit, shifting to human as well, now that the family had seen his true form. “Well, some nagas claim that we’re distantly related to dragons but I’m not actually sure about that. We’re our own species but I’m sure some naga’s have dragon blood.”</p><p>“Cool.” The little blond gave a nod and wandered off to explore the area, her little sister following close behind now that Clover looked like a human and no longer had a tail to play on.</p><p>“So, you’re Clover.” The naga calmy regarded the blond who was eyeing him critically. He took no offense to it (he had come on rather fast to the alpha’s omega brother, of course he’d be wary of him) and offered his hand to shake.</p><p>“I am. And you must be Taiyang. Qrow’s told me a lot about you.” </p><p>Tai grinned as he took the offer, liking that the other alpha wasn’t trying to assert his superiority or trying to stake a claim on Qrow. “Most of it was probably lies.” The brunette had a good laugh, he decided. Maybe, by the end of this visit, he would know if he was comfortable trusting this man to help with Summer and Ruby.</p><p>~</p><p>Clover jerked awake, coils tensing as he listened for what had awoken him. There was a noise again, a familiar caw that he had come to know by heart over the last year. He shot out of his lair, searching for the small black bird he knew was calling for help. He found Qrow (in mer form?) sprawled in a clearing not far from his cave. (Why was he using his mer form on dry land? Why was he unconscious?) Moving quickly he scooped the small omega into his arms and rushed back to his home as quickly as he could. Once he was safely inside the shelter of stone he settled him in the shallow water and looked him over. An angry hiss escaped him when he spotted a slice under Qrow’s gills on his left side, the edges a toxic violet color. </p><p>He treated the wound with some basic knowledge, trying to do enough to be able to rouse the omega so he could ask him what kind of poison was in the wound. Eventually (far later than he felt safe with) the vermillion eyes cracked open. Clover let out a cautious sigh of relief. If what he’d done so far had helped then that meant the small male wasn’t too far gone to save. “Qrow, look at me. I need to know what did this so I can properly counter the poison. Do you know what got you?”</p><p>The fevered gaze stared at him for several (too long) seconds, brow furrowed, before he sorted out the information he needed. “Manticore...” </p><p>“Okay. Okay. I got you. Just rest.” There were several breeds (several different poisons) but going by the symptoms he should be able to figure out what kind had hurt the omega and get an antidote. (All while fighting his alpha brain’s demand that he hunt down the creature who’d harmed his omega and destroy it. He didn’t even know where the attack had occurred… Nevermind the fact that Qrow wasn’t actually his.)</p><p>~</p><p>Qrow woke up surrounded by warmth. It was unusual as he was used to waking surrounded by cool water. He discovered the cause for the difference when he finally opened his eyes. Clover’s entire body was coiled up and he was nestled in the loops. He could feel the soft green scale covered muscles all around and under him, tightly enough to ensure he didn’t drift off in the water but loosely enough that he didn’t feel trapped with just the end of his tail draped over Qrow’s waist to hold him down. When he shifted to sit up he noticed that they were in his cove. Besides him, Clover jerked awake at the movement and rose up, looking him over with concern.</p><p>“How do you feel?”</p><p>“A bit disoriented. I don’t remember much after being attacked, though I do remember deciding to come here instead of Patch because it was closer. How long have I been out?” He ran a hand through his hair, feeling a few tangles that he didn’t remember being there. Must have been tossing in his sleep.</p><p>“Three days. I moved you from my cave to your cove on the second day when you started improving. I thought you’d feel more comfortable here when you woke.” The naga slowly uncoiled from around Qrow, not wanting to really let him go but not wanting to come across as possessive when the other didn’t belong to him.</p><p>“Thank you. For everything.” Qrow mourned the warmth as it left but didn’t complain. Clover probably wanted to stretch his muscles if he’d been curled up with him for the entire three days. </p><p>“Anything you need? Are you hungry?” </p><p>“Just a little bit.”</p><p>“Okay, stay here and rest. I’ll go get something.” The naga shot off to gather whatever he thought the merman might want, picking his favorites to encourage him to eat more and bringing it back.</p><p>After having eaten as much as he could (and a few extra bites to appease the worried alpha) Qrow pulled out his scroll so that he could contact Ozpin to tell him what had happened and that he’d be out of commission for a bit while he recovered. (Oz could contact anyone else he felt needed to know on his own.) Once that conversation was over he called his brother to let him know that he’d been injured but was recovering fine and would visit once he was able to. He spent some time on the second call assuring both his nieces that he would be fine and they could play in his lake as soon as he got there.</p><p>Later that night, after he’d shooed the naga up the little river that led inland to Clover’s cave, Qrow settled in to sleep with some difficulty. It wasn’t the wound that was bothering him, Clover had done an amazing job of healing him, but his skin felt uncomfortably sensitive. Trying to ignore the sensation he burrowed into his bed and forced his mind to calm. He just needed to sleep. He’d feel fine in the morning.</p><p>~</p><p>Clover huffed as he waited impatiently for what he hoped was an appropriate amount of time to pass before he went back to Qrow’s cove. While he knew that the worst was passed, that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about the mer’s recovery. When he finally neared Qrow’s sleeping area Clover slowed, tongue flicking out to taste the water. It was slightly thicker than what water should be, and much, much sweeter (enough to start overpowering the taste of salt). The naga shifted as something stirred in him (his hindbrain was trying to take over) and moved closer to check on the (still sleeping?) merman. Pressing a taloned claw to a delicate shoulder, he was concerned to feel the body heated with a fever. He’d thought the omega was passed this part!</p><p>Qrow shifted under his hand, opening ruby eyes to see what had disturbed him. “Hey Cloves.”</p><p>“Are you alright? You have a fever again…”</p><p>A quiet laugh left the other. “It’s gonna get worse before it gets better. That damned manticore attack triggered a panic heat.”</p><p>Ah. Clover hadn’t thought of that. Panic heats and ruts were fairly common after life threatening injuries in a strange survival instinct. And now he wasn’t sure what to do. He’d never been near an omega in heat before (only met two in his life and hadn’t been more than acquaintances with either of them) but he had the general idea of what occurred since he assumed it was similar to his rut. The problem was he wasn’t sure if Qrow would want his help in that manner- especially since swimming in the water filled with the heat pheromones and slick was going to trigger his rut. </p><p>“You can go back home, I’ll be fine. This isn’t my first panic heat. They’re less intense than normal ones and I have a few tricks to help me through it. They only last a day at most.” He’d already had an herbal concoction that helped mellow him out so that he wouldn’t be clinging to the naga and begging to be knotted… Though his hindbrain was certainly wondering what the naga looked like. He’d only ever slept with humans, since they were safe. He didn’t have to worry about them trying to bond him against his will just because he was an omega. </p><p>Clover nodded, practically holding his breath now that he had an answer to his unspoken questions. “Okay. Just come see me before you leave alright? I wanna make sure you’re okay before your next mission.” The brunette swam to shore and crawled onto land, not wanting to be in the heat-laced water any longer than he needed to be. He’d go back to his lair and curl up in the hot springs inside. Qrow had said that panic heats weren’t as intense as normal ones (and he didn’t have any idea what a normal one was like) so maybe, hopefully, that meant the rut it triggered would be less intense as well. He knew which herbs and plants would help him through it and which ones were supposed to suppress it. He just had to gather a few on the way there. (He tried very hard not to think about what Qrow meant when he said he had a few tricks- that thought process would get him nowhere good with his hindbrain trying to call all the shots.)</p><p>~</p><p>Qrow hovered near the entrance to the river, debating if it would be safe to go to Clover now. He wasn’t absolutely certain but he was pretty sure that if his heat had ended a day ago then Clover’s rut should be finished by now too. Or, at least, he thought so. He supposed he could call Tai to ask some questions (he’d been on both sides of this situation with Raven and Summer in the past) but then he’d have to admit that he’d gone through a heat (any heat) unguarded and in close proximity to an alpha that he wasn’t related to in any way. (Tai was his brother through the bond with Raven, even if it’d been broken.) And then the overprotective dragon would probably fly to the island, in a show of fire and fangs that were completely unnecessary since Clover had been a perfect gentleman about the whole situation.</p><p>Shaking his head at himself, Qrow swam up the flow of water, eventually making his way to the network of water tunnels in Clover’s cave. He came to the large, warm freshwater pool in the main chamber of the tunnels and broke the surface. There was no sign of his friend in the vicinity so he perched on the smooth ledge that worked well as a natural seat at the edge of the rock. </p><p>“Clover?” His voice echoed uncomfortably through the stone but he heard the hissing sound of scales sliding over the hard surface that told him the other was getting closer. The raven let out a sigh of relief and smiled as the brunette came into sight. </p><p>“Hey, how are you feeling?” Teal eyes flashed along what they could see, noticing that the flush of heat was absent and the wound was properly healed. </p><p>“I’m fine.” The merman took in the other’s appearance as well, noting that he seemed calm and in control. Any lingering traces of his rut were long gone.</p><p>“Heading out already then?” </p><p>“No. Came to see how you were doing actually.”</p><p>Clover looked slightly surprised at the admission but gave a pleased smile all the same. “I’m fine. It wasn’t as bad as I was afraid it would be.”</p><p>“I’m glad. And… I’m sorry to put you through that. Even if it was an accident.”</p><p>“Qrow…” The naga sighed, bordering on exasperated. “It was nothing, really. And I would not hesitate to go through it again as long as I knew you were safe.”</p><p>“About that… Thank you… For… Well, for not taking advantage of me. The only alpha I’ve ever trusted near me when I was in heat is my brother. Other alphas I’ve met… They tend to think that an omega’s heat means they can use us as they want. I know not every alpha is like that of course but… I haven’t got the best luck with alphas I guess.” Scarlet eyes dropped to his hands and he picked under his claws to clean them. </p><p>“My parents raised us better than that. If they heard of us doing anything close to that we’d be skinned alive. We’re more than our designations and we can act like it. I had plenty of time to put a safe distance between us before my rut hit, so there was no excuse not to respect your decision. Not that there is ever an excuse.” Clover was horrified to hear it. Of course he knew that there were alphas out there like that but he had never met one and was grateful for it. He’d probably crush them with his tail.</p><p>“I was hoping that would be your answer.” Qrow shyly watched his tail swish through the water. He was nervous as hell to bring this up but it was painfully clear after their year of getting to know each other that the alpha was trying not to push for anything Qrow wasn’t willing to give. Which meant he’d have to be the one to address the subject. “But I wanted to make sure... When I sent you home and you went without arguing… Was that because I told you to… or, um… because you aren’t interested in omegas?”</p><p>Clover’s mouth dropped open in shock, watching as Qrow fidgeted with his hip fins nervously. “Do you seriously not know how much I want to be with you?”</p><p>“What?” Qrow’s startled vermillion eyes jumped up to incredulous teal. </p><p>“Qrow, I’ve been trying to court you without being overwhelming since we met! I haven’t really spent time with any omegas before I met you but I know that most are skittish around alphas. Probably because of the ones you mentioned earlier.”</p><p>“So… If I told you that I would be interested in being with you…”</p><p>“Then I’d ask if it was okay to kiss you senseless like I’ve been wanting to.”</p><p>Qrow allowed a little grin, reaching for the naga only to be scooped up into strong arms. The first press of lips against his was careful, like Clover was checking to make sure he was really comfortable with it. Once he was certain the kiss turned a bit aggressive, a year’s worth of withheld passion coming to the fore. It was all Qrow could do to keep up as the forked tongue explored his mouth thoroughly, Clover obviously determined to make good on his word to kiss him senseless. Qrow held on to the larger mythic’s broad shoulders for dear life, set on giving as good as he got while trying to be careful of Clover’s fangs. (He had a feeling that he was at a natural disadvantage given the nature of Clover’s tongue but he wasn’t going down without a fight.) By the time the serpent had released him to try to catch his breath, Qrow was embarrassed to note that he was starting to slide out of his slit. </p><p>Flushing, the merman flipped his tailfin up to cover himself, unwilling to let go of Clover even if his face was on fire. Clover cleared his throat and tipped his chin down, drawing Qrow’s attention to the fact that the naga was also coming out of hiding. “Oh.” He let his tail fall back into the water when Clover made no move to cover himself. Fair was fair, after all. That had been their status quo since their first meeting, it would be wrong to change it now. He was distracted from the thought when Clover nibbled on his earlobe, drawing a gasp from him.</p><p>“May I?” One scaled hand rested on his tail, just below where he really wanted to be touched. </p><p>“<i>Please…</i>” He cried out and bucked at the first touch on his sensitive flesh, the end of his tail thrashing in the water. The scales on Clover’s hand added an extra texture and sensation that he wasn’t used to that he was sure was going to drive him insane. </p><p>Clover took the other in hand, marveling at the differences between Qrow and himself, pausing only long enough to lower them both to the bottom of the pool. Qrow was naturally smaller than him (expected given the size difference of their species) but well proportioned to his own body. The heated flesh was long and tapered, smooth but uneven, thicker on the underside and incredibly slick. Sensitive too, if the way Qrow writhed in his arms was any indication. Clover nearly jumped out of his scales when a slender hand brushed against his own length. </p><p>Clover groaned as Qrow gripped him experimentally, needing to be careful with the delicate webbing between his fingers. Garnet eyes studied his new prize. It was obviously as big as the rest of Clover with a slight bulb at the base where his knot was but he hadn’t expected it to be <i>ridged</i>. (Dear gods, Clover was going to ruin him.) Qrow brought his other hand down, folding his thumbs along his fingers so he was cupping Clover between his palms. He wouldn’t need to worry about his webbing potentially being torn that way. (The webs were sturdier than they looked but he’d never handled a ridged cock before, humans didn’t have those and neither did he. It was better to be safe for now than risk the damage.) Clover moaned into his hair and tightened his hand slightly, careful that his talons didn’t cause any harm. </p><p>Qrow buried his face in the naga’s shoulder with a whimper, hips and fins moving instinctively in a frenzy of need. Clover’s own tail fueled his own movements, though when Qrow felt the end of it wrap around him and trail along his back he reasoned that the brunette had more control over himself at the moment, which seemed hideously unfair. The merman threw his head back with a loud mewl when the tip of that questing tail found his entrance, nudging against it but not breaching him. The damned <i>tease.</i> He gave a sharp, frustrated nip to Clover’s jaw, trying to get him to do something more. Clover’s hand gripped his hip, keeping him still as the tip finally slid inside. </p><p><i>“Aaahhh!”</i> Qrow cried out, trying to keep his hands moving as his higher brain functions shut down from the overload. Clover’s hand still stroking him, the tip of his tail playing and twisting inside of him, and the other hand half pinning one of his sensitive hip fins. It was quickly becoming more than he could handle, unlike anything he’d ever experienced before.</p><p>The brunette practically purred as he took in the enticing sight below him, still using one hand to pin Qrow’s hips to the sand beneath them. The water around them was thick with their mixing fluids and he kept flicking his tongue out to taste their combined scent. Qrow shuddered hard when Clover twisted the tip of his tail just right, whimpering in a way that let the alpha know he was close. He carefully tightened his grip on the slick member, determined to make Qrow come first. </p><p>“<i>Ah! Clover!</i>” Qrow stiffened in his grasp, clenching down on the tip of his tail and barely refraining from clenching his hands as he remembered that he still had Clover’s length in his grasp. Shuddering through his orgasm, the raven sought to bring his lover over with him. Twisting his hands together on a downward stroke and squeezing around the bulb of his knot. </p><p>“Fuck! <i>Qrow!</i>” Clover’s body tensed around the smaller mythic drawing a pleased hum from the raven. </p><p>As he panted hard against Clover’s neck, Qrow couldn’t help but notice that the water was heavy with their release. He could taste his own sweetness (strawberries and cream and chocolate) as he breathed in, blending with Clover’s spice (cinnamon and apples and something else he couldn’t quite place (nutmeg? ginger?)). It was so strange to him. Since he’d only ever been with humans he’d never been underwater during sex before (excluding when a human wanted him to go down on them underwater and that really wasn’t the same) because he’d never lasted with any of his past partners enough to gift them with the ability to breath underwater. It was surprisingly intimate to be able to taste the sex in the water and he wondered if it would be the same next time, when Clover finished what his tail had started.</p><p>~</p><p>Qrow’s hand buried deeper into the sand at the bottom of the pool as he pushed back with a whine. Clover’s tail tightened around his own, holding him still as the naga carefully worked him open. It felt like hours had passed since they started and Clover only had two fingers in him. It was maddening. “Shh… We’ll get there, I promise, but I have to get you ready. You’re so small baby bird.” Clover nipped at his ear, earning another whine.</p><p>Qrow knew Clover was right but he was <i>impatient</i> to feel the alpha inside him. “I can, <i>ah</i>, t-take it… <i>Please Cloves</i>!”</p><p>Clover hissed as he fitted a third finger into his lover’s clenching entrance, leaning around to kiss him soundly. He didn’t ever want to cause Qrow harm but if the ebony mer kept begging him, he’d lose his resolve. </p><p><i>“Mmmm!”</i> Qrow pushed into his stretching fingers, tail trying to writhe in the grip of his coils. Sooner than was probably best, Clover added a fourth. <i>“A-Ahh! Clover!”</i> Qrow ripped his mouth free, panting heavily as he tried to buck back.</p><p>“Gods damn it Qrow.” Clover growled, patience finally snapping with the omega’s relentless pushing. Pulling his fingers free, the naga dropped his hands to cover Qrow’s and readjusted the grip of his tail to better secure the merman, effectively mounting him so he could push into the loosened, slick hole. </p><p>
  <i>“Ha~!</i>” Qrow’s breath froze in his lungs as Clover started to push inside him, his body trembling under the strain of accepting something so large. Then the first ridge slipped inside, causing his whole form to jerk in response. <i>“Ah!”</i> Each time a ridge breached him he shuddered, a shockwave of pleasure rocketing through him causing him to clench down each time. Oh gods, he’d known that the naga was going to wreck him but he hadn’t realized just how thoroughly. He supposed he only had himself to blame, it had been his choice to limit himself to human lovers after all. 
</p><p>“<i>Shit!</i> Qrow, please, you gotta relax for me.” Clover nuzzled the merman’s neck as he finally bottomed out. Being inside the omega was absolute heaven but if the smaller mythic didn’t let up some then he wasn’t going to last long enough to please him and he refused to allow such a thing. So he nipped at the bared neck (careful of the gills and his fangs) and lifted one hand to play with the sensitive hip fin and run soothingly along his side. “<i>Oh!</i> There you go, just a little more…” With the tightness around him loosening enough for him to breath, Clover ran his free hand under Qrow’s body to play with his nipples and tug at his length. “Just like that.” He dropped his hand back down to brace and pulled out, only to thrust back in.
</p><p>
 Qrow screamed as Clover nailed his prostate, starting slow but quickly gaining speed and strength. The feel of the ridges sliding in and out was mind numbing, causing convulsions Qrow honestly wasn’t aware of. The only thing he could think of was the building pleasure as the larger body bracketed him, keeping him in place for each strike. “<i>Oh gods, oh gods… Clover! Ah! Please!</i>”
</p><p>
 Clover growled, the front of his teeth pressing into the mating glands but he didn’t dare bare them. He and Qrow hadn’t talked about mating yet and he wasn’t going to risk the temptation. Not when he was buried in that slick heat with the omega calling his name and begging. He could feel the slender body tightening, growing hotter around him as he neared climax and felt his knot starting to swell. With snarl and a final hard thrust he forced the growing knot into the small body and locked them together, felt Qrow bear down on him as he came. His vision whited out and he filled the omega, panting heavily against the back of his neck. The naga carefully curled them up in the sand to wait out his knot, knowing that the merman would need to rest so that he could return to his family the next day.
</p><p>
  ~
</p><p>
Qrow blinked at the furious looking Tai, noticing the way his nose flared to take in his scent and pointed at himself. “Adult.” He did not need his brother questioning why Clover’s scent was all over him. He really didn’t want to have that conversation (ever) with the dragon. So he shrugged off the flat look he was given and kept walking towards his lake. “Girls in the house?”
</p><p>
  “Front yard playing, they’ll be back here before you have the chance to get that cleared up so I hope you have a good explanation ready.” Tai stalked after his little brother with a barely audible growl in his tone. By all that was holy, if that naga had taken advantage of Qrow in <i>any way…</i>
</p><p>
 “Nnghh… I’ll figure something out…” Qrow shrugged it off. He’d probably end up telling the girls the truth for the most part. A highly edited version of it consisting of “Clover’s courting me and we might be mated someday.” They didn’t need to know the details beyond that.
</p><p>
 ~
</p><p>
 It was surprisingly easy for him to move into Clover’s lair with him (he still stayed in the cove sometimes but not on most nights when he was on the island) and he found himself wondering why he’d waited so long to approach the obviously receptive alpha. His nieces (adorable menaces, both of them) were already asking when they were going to have cousins. Tai never failed to scold them, insisting that eight month of dating was nowhere near enough for a mating bond and kids. (This usually led to a discussion between the two adults of how long Tai had actually been with his two mates before he bonded them and how much time had passed after before his girls were born. Tai usually told him to shut up.)
</p><p>
 “Why are your nieces sending me random names?” Oh, right… He’d almost forgotten that they had snuck onto his scroll to get Clover’s number a couple months ago. The naga had found it amusing at least, so he hadn’t felt too bad about it at the time.
</p><p>
 “Uh… Weeeell… They’re baby names… For when they get cousins…” Qrow ducked his head with a blush, hoping that Clover wouldn’t take things the wrong way.
</p><p>
 Clover blinked blankly at him, trying to process what was just said. Of course he was planning to bond the omega. And he wanted children naturally. But those thoughts had been for the future. The <i>way</i> future. That’s why they were using suppressants and contraceptives after all. But he couldn't deny that the idea of having kids with Qrow caused a surge of pleasure to shoot through him. “I’ll tell them to focus on bird names. I want them to take after you…”
</p><p>
 “W-what?” Of all the things his lover could have said, he didn’t see that coming. Shaking his head, Qrow hid a small smile behind his hand. Honestly it seemed Clover was going to be just as bad as his nieces. It was going to drive Taiyang nuts...
</p><p>
 ~
</p><p>
  <i>“Uncle Clover~!”</i>
</p><p>
 The naga paused in the act of setting Yang’s birthday present on the table as the small blond flung herself at him. He couldn’t help the giddly little grin as he picked her up and tossed her in the air, her delighted shrieks filling the room. “Hey little dragon. Happy eleventh birthday!” When he set her back down he saw Qrow leaning in the doorway of the kitchen. Yang ran off, either to announce his arrival to Taiyang or to play with the growing number of children present. “Soooo… When did I become uncle and do I have to avoid Taiyang for the rest of the party?"
</p><p>
 “You’ve been uncle since I came home smelling like you and Tai’s been looking for an excuse to eat you since we met. Avoiding him now wouldn’t do you much good really.” Qrow laughed as he kissed his lover, pulling him along through the house. “Come on. You can help finish decorating the cake.”
</p><p>
 ~
</p><p>
 “So are you and Uncle Qrow gonna bond?” Ruby kicked her legs back and forth while she sat on the railing of the porch. Out in the yard, Taiyang was saying good-bye with Yang to the last of their guests.
</p><p>
 Clover looked down into the silver eyes that were judging him as she waited for him to answer. “When he’s ready to have me as his mate, yes. But I’m not going to bond him until he tells me I’m allowed to.” 
</p><p>
 The eight year old tipped her head curiously, as if the thought of Qrow refusing to bond with him hadn’t occurred to her. “That makes sense.” She looked back at the house where her uncle was cleaning the kitchen, a thoughtful frown on her face. Clover had time to wonder just what was going on in her little head before she hopped down and darted inside. 
</p><p>
 Clover hoped that she wasn’t going to pester his lover into making a decision he might not be ready for. As much as he wanted the mating bond he was willing to wait for it. After all, it had taken a year for the mer to be ready to even start something with him (though they certainly went lightning fast once they got started) and it had been worth it, Qrow had been worth it. It would happen when they were both ready.
</p><p>
 ~
</p><p>
 Clover kissed the soft skin of Qrow’s inner thigh, finally able to give his lover’s beautiful legs the worship they deserved. He’d wanted to get his hands on them since he first saw the other in human form (and every time after that) and now that he had the chance he intended to make the most of it. He gave a nip to the other side, gripping the graceful knees and hitching them up higher to expose his ultimate goal. Readjusting his grip and nearly folding his panting lover in half, Clover laved his tongue over the puckered bud, tasting the addictive sweetness of the omega’s slick. He hummed, working his tongue deeper (he’d kept his forked naga tongue when he’d shifted) wringing moan after cry from Qrow. 
</p><p>
 Gods, the taste was exquisite. He couldn’t get enough of it. Qrow’s heels dug into his shoulder blades, trying to pull him closer. The sweetest little mewls and whimpers spilled from the mer as Clover tasted him. As impatient as Qrow could be, Clover had no intention of being rushed for this. He was going to spend the rest of the night learning the human body of his lover (both of them had only ever had sex in their human forms before each other, they had spent a great deal of time in their natural forms the last several months). Later he’d let the other do the same if he wanted, but not now. Now he had his own plans to finish… 
</p><p>
 ~
</p><p>
 “Will you bond me?” 
</p><p>
 “Yes, yes. Fuck yes!” Gods, Clover had been waiting over two and a half years for that question, ever since he first met the smaller mythic. He pulled the mer’s body up out of the water and held him tightly, kissing him fiercely. 
</p><p>
 Qrow laughed against his mouth, tail flicking ineffectually in the air. “Good. I’ve been wanting to ask for a while but I didn’t want to rush things… Not like our first time…”
</p><p>
 Clover chuckled. “I wasn’t exactly going slow either that time. But I would have said yes if you’d asked me back then too.” He lowered the omega back into the water and slid into the pool beside him. “Your nieces are going to be bouncing off the walls when we tell them.”
</p><p>
 “They’re your nieces too you know.”
</p><p>
 “Yea. They are.” Clover couldn’t stop smiling, trailing the tips of his talons along Qrow’s back (avoiding the fin so he didn’t risk tearing it). 
</p><p>
 He felt Qrow pressing kisses along his collarbone and up his neck, worming closer to coax Clover’s tail into curling around him. Clover’s hand drifted down to seek the entrance that was already starting to slick in anticipation. Clover kept him distracted by grinding them together once they were both fully out of their slits, knowing if he didn’t Qrow would try (successfully) to rush him. Even if he tried to keep Qrow’s focus away from his stretching (it didn’t work, never did) he still found himself scooting down to push into the smaller omega faster than he probably should be.
</p><p>
 Qrow quivered around him as he seated himself fully, the channel gripping him as if it never wanted to let go. Qrow had once confessed that Clover had ruined him for anyone else, Clover had been thrilled to hear it, admitting that it was the same for him in reverse. Of course mating only made sense. The naga angled his fangs (keeping his venom in mind, he didn’t want to accidentally inject any) on Qrow’s neck, above his gills. He sank them in to mark the other as his knot locked them together. Felt Qrow’s mouth seek out a point just under the corner of his jaw to return the bite and smiled, licking both his fangs and his mate’s neck clean. He curled around the omega while he waited for his knot to go down, though he was in no rush to seperate. He couldn’t wait to tell his family and Qrow’s. It was going to be wild.
</p><p>
 ~
</p><p>
 The look Taiyang leveled at them when they showed up at the cottage could have melted a mountain. The girls caught one look at the new marks on their necks and began shrieking joyously. (That could have been the reason for Tai’s look. He still lived with the brats. They were going to drive him nuts.) The three adults finally managed to get the two girls back inside for dinner time where two of them fielded a barrage of questions that they gave edited (in some cases, highly edited) answers to about their bonding. As they were putting the two down for bed Yang called out to them.
</p><p>
 “Rook is an awesome name for a boy!”
</p><p>
 Tai groaned and dropped a hand to his palm. Qrow smothered a laugh and Clover gave her an amused look. “We’ll keep that in mind little dragon. Now go to sleep.” He could hear Ruby’s giggling as he and the other two adults went back down stairs. Even if the girls were going to be relentless until they got their cousins and Taiyang was going to harass him at every turn (just because he could) Clover wouldn’t change any of it.
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm not gonna lie. The line where Qrow tells Tai (hell the whole scene) that "I'm an adult and I can make my own mistakes, thank you very much" is probably one of my favorites I've ever written with any character.</p><p>Discord: SykoShadowRose #2535</p><p>Feel free to message me if you'd like to talk.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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